Handbook of Workplace Assessment: Evidence-Based Practices for Selecting and Developing Organizational Talent

Chapter 22. ADDRESSING THE FLAWS IN OUR ASSESSMENT DECISIONS

James L. Outtz

This chapter reviews some common problems with the implementation of selection procedures and the resulting selection decisions. The issues raised here stem from two basic premises. The first is that the classical model does not accurately represent the work environment that exists in most organizations. The second is that the assessment tools often used in organizations may lack sufficient validity evidence to support the inferences typically drawn from them. If these premises are correct, they create moral and ethical dilemmas for users of assessment that they are often ill prepared to handle. This chapter discusses each premise and then describes the ethical and moral ...